SIG Training Begins!

I think I'll take a break from talking about chefs, food and restaurants for a bit and turn instead to another passion of mine - cycling! Back in 2009, I got a fabulous road bike complete with clipless pedals and the whole nine. At that point, I'd never been on a road bike, much less while being clipped in, so my first few rides were most certainly very rocky. I may or may not have fallen down within the first 5 minutes of being on. I'm really lucky to live just a few blocks from Central Park so I can easily get up there to ride but it's honestly become so annoying. There are so many people in the park these days and now it's a law in NYC that all cyclists must stop at red lights. There are probably 10 or so lights around the 6 mile circumference of the park so that gets incredibly annoying to stop, clip out, wait and resume. The fine is something like $275 though so I would just be pissed off if I had to pay this city another dime than I already do. Sooo, needless to say, riding in the city has become extra aggravating but I'm just not advanced enough quite yet to go out of the city on my own.

I've written about NY Cycle Club before but I'll just mention again what a tremendous group of people lead it. I've been to a couple of meetings and met some really wonderful folks who are so welcoming and sweet. Last year, I had read about their SIG program, short for Special Interest Group, and it's basically like a cycling college, if you will. There are three levels and it's designed to take a solo rider from the ground up and train them in group riding along with all the tiny details of bike maintenance and the like. I'm solid on the bike now and my fitness level is high but I know nothing about changing a flat, fixing a dropped chain, riding in a group; any of the nitty gritty stuff that makes up the cycling world. While I'm a runner at heart, I absolutely love being on the bike and I've conquered some personal hurdles because of it. There's a different relationship you have with the road when you're a runner vs. cyclist and I feel pretty lucky to see both worlds. Anyway, I'd missed the deadline to sign up for the SIG last year but I was sure to be one of the first to do so this year.

I decided to do the lowest level so I could be a part of learning all the small details of what I mentioned above. It's a rather large committment of 8 straight weeks every Saturday but I'm very excited to do this! Last Saturday morning was the classification ride for our group which was really so fun. It was just three laps of Central Park (a little over 18 miles) and then you wait a couple of weeks to hear which group you'll be in. I appreciate that they do this even amongst the lowest level because there are a fair amount of people who have a great fitness level but feel the same as I do. Basically, it'll be nice to ride with people at the same pace as you even in a lower level group. I got my bike all tuned up and was so excited to get back out on the road:

I had a fantastic ride and I definitely think my training sessions with Jimmy the past few months have boosted my endurance level big time. I'd been sick last week and that, coupled with not having been on the bike since last fall, I thought for sure I'd do some major huffing and puffing (especially up Harlem Hill!). That actually wasn't the case and I had a really strong ride. I surprised myself! Thanks for kicking my behind each and every week, Jimmy. ;)

I haven't heard what group I'm in yet but I look forward to getting that info soon. We officially start on Saturday, 3/26. Woooo! Hopefully, I'll have some fun adventures to share as we finally ride out of this crazy damn city. I can't wait to ride into some beautiful areas of Jersey and upstate NY, soon!

Early (Weekday!) Bike Ride #2

Finally, after a few rainy and gloomy days, we had a beautiful morning yesterday. My first thought was bike ride time!

Laura, the gal I met at the NY Cycle Club meeting last month, and I had been trying to meet up for a ride for several days but the darn weather kept squashing our plans. We were both psyched to see the forecast for clear skies so we planned to meet at 6am on the west side. I've become much more comfortable riding in the street and, when it's super early, there's really no traffic anyway. It's actually rather peaceful to be on the bike at that time so I enjoyed crossing over from the east side! I did realize that I need lights on my bike, though. I left the apartment around 5:45am and it was still quite dark. Sorry, random side note.

Anyway, we had a terrific ride together and it was really nice to chat and pass the time. We saw another beautiful sunrise and there's just something about it that makes you feel alive. I love that so many people are in the park super early, either running or cycling. There seems to be this commonality there that you feel in a stronger way when it's early in the morning. I think it's just a heightened level of dedication when you get up super early to go do something physical. I saw lots of teams doing what I assume is their marathon training for November and I also watched several large cycling groups whiz by me. I dunno, it sounds weird but the feelings I have on the bike make me appreciate things that I haven't or don't while running.

Laura and I are pretty much at the same level on our bikes, though she's definitely gotten more rides under her belt than me. Regardless, we totally click and I think we share so many of the same feelings about cycling in general. It's so great to have met such a nice girl and to have a new friend to ride with. I absolutely can't wait to finally have a free weekend morning to do a long cycle club ride with her! I already know that I'll meet even more great people sharing the same passion for something I love. I'm excited!